At the Starry Nights party at Icenhauer’s, SXSW, Austin, March 12, 2012
South By Southwest
Headed to the Starry Nights SXSW Party at Icenhauer’s, I discovered a neighborhood south of Cesar Chavez near the lake that I never knew was there in my four years of coming to Austin for SXSW. Although it is primarily a residential neighborhood, there are a number of bars, restaurants and food truck lots.
Scenes from downtown Austin, SXSW Interactive, March 12, 2012
Stack Burger Bar on West 4th in downtown Austin is part of a nationwide trend toward upscale burger bars with quality beef, and this one truly satisfies, although it’s often very crowded. The burgers were reasonably priced and cooked to order, and the fries were excellent as well. An added pleasure the night I was there was that a Cedar Street Courtyard SXSW party with a DJ was going on in the downstairs courtyard below the restaurant windows. Visit Stack Burger Bar at http://stackburgerbar.com/
Austin twilight, SXSW Interactive, March 12, 2012
Scenes from downtown Austin during the SXSW Interactive, Monday, March 12, 2012
Bing search engine also had a lot adjacent to the Nike lot, where they were demonstrating RFID wristband technology. There were comfortable couches, food trucks, a full bar, and a place to recharge your mobile devices. I was most impressed by a demonstration of the new Gopago app, that allows you to order remotely from a food truck without waiting in line. The app currently works in the Bay Area of California, but should be coming to a city near you soon.
Scenes from downtown Austin during SXSW Interactive, March 12, 2012
Nike was a big player at this year’s SXSW, sponsoring big events during both the Interactive and Music conferences within the week, and promoting their new Fuel Band wristbands that can measure steps taken, calories burned, and how much of one’s exercise goals he or she has accomplished each day. One of the cooler Nike events was a lot with a basketball court and skateboard ramp, but there were also parties and concerts.